Sleep and Gym
by rose griffes
Summary: Two fluffy KaraLee ficlets. Spoilers through the end of season three.


**Sleep** (written for daybreak777)

As Lee walked through the hatch into the glass-enclosed cell he saw the wing that covered Kara's upper arm. He had never thought he'd be grateful to see Kara's marriage tattoo. "Hey, good news!" he said as she looked at him with hopeful eyes. "You're really you."

"Well, **I** knew that." Her voice was hoarse from the constant talking she'd done since her return. "Can I get out of here now?"

"Not yet." Her smile faded and he tried to explain, although he didn't agree with it. "They're trying to decide what to tell the rest of the fleet, and they want to double-check the information you gave."

"You mean they don't trust me." She looked disappointed but her voice was free of rancor.

"Join the club. My father doesn't trust me now either." She smiled at him sympathetically. "But since I'm no longer part of the military, I have the time for this," and with a flourish he pulled a pack of triad cards out of his pocket.

Her grin came back, big and sassy. "Did you bring anything for ante?" she asked, looking smug.

From his briefcase he took out sundries: a pair of socks, three sticks of gum and a sample bottle of lotion. "And so you can wager something as well, here," and he pulled out a paper bag and handed it to her.

She opened it and her eyes grew wide. She blinked fast a few times.

"Helo and I saved some of your stuff after..."

"Thanks," she said, and her voice was an octave lower than earlier. She took out the photo of her, Zak and Lee and held it in front of her. "Funny how you can miss things as well as people." He watched her as she stared at the picture. She finally put it aside and motioned for him to sit next to her on the cot.

One hour later the cards were still untouched and Lee was telling her what happened in the fleet while she was gone. She asked about pilots and mechanics and many others that Lee was surprised she knew at all. He told her about everything he could think of, from the President's cancer returning to Racetrack torturing the nuggets.

"Racetrack?!" Kara exclaimed.

"Yeah, she's tough on them, but not as tough as you." Kara's head was leaning on his shoulder and he felt her face muscles shift against his skin as she smiled. He kept talking, lowering his voice as her questions and comments began to lag. Soon he heard her breathing even out, felt her go limp against his shoulder. He sat completely still, breathing in slowly so as not to jar her, and whispered, "Thanks for coming home, Kara."

**Gym** (prompt from lunar47)

His back against the weight bench, Helo felt the muscles in his arms as he pushed upward, grunting. "That's just wimpy," Kara said as he strained to push the weight back to the bar. He glared at her as she grinned.

"So this is the help I get. Name-calling."

"I haven't called you any names yet. Wimpy is an adjective."

He laughed and almost dropped the bar, which Kara helped him raise up again. He slid the bar into the notch and sat up on the weight bench, looking at her with a smile on his face. "Gods, it's great to have you here mocking me again."

"You sayin' you didn't miss my sunny disposition?" Kara joined him on the bench, leaning against his shoulder. "Ah, Helo, I'm crushed."

"Crushed, eh? Back from the dead less than a week and already crushed." Shaking his head, he added, "Clearly dying didn't toughen you any." They sat in silence for a moment, smiling faces reflected in the gym mirror.

Behind them Helo saw the hatch open as Lee Adama walked in, stopping for a moment when he glimpsed their reflections. He walked toward them, hesitant until Kara stood up and met him with her arms out. "Hey you," she said, hugging him.

Helo saw his own reaction reflected in Lee's face--surprise at Kara's openness. He was still amazed by how much she'd changed, but he liked it. Lee's arms tightened around her and he closed his eyes. "Missed you on CAP."

"Me too," Kara whispered.

"I'll just leave you two alone," Helo said. He shrugged when neither one replied as they stood in the gym, arms entwined around each other. He was going to have to get used to this. Closing the hatch behind him, Helo tied a towel around the handle and walked back to his quarters.


End file.
